1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of the play NOT THE FILM of Real Women Have Curves. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
We are inside a tiny sewing factory in East Los Angeles on Monday morning, September 7, 1987, about 7:00 a.m. The people involved includes Estela, Rosali, Ana, Pancha, Carmen. These ladies find themselves having to make 100 dresses by that Friday. Many problems pop up along the way such as Rosali passing out due to only eating dieting pills and some of the equipment breaking down.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken in the play and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
The intrusion was when Rosali explain why she fainted. This is because it showed the other women what people would go through just to feel or look "pretty". This was the start of the characters realizing how beautiful they really are and that they do not need to go through diets to feel and look beautiful in your own skin. This is accomplished when they started to strip in front of each other in order to call attention to their imperfections. However, in the end they saw how their imperfections made them beautiful.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
This was the day that the women find out that if they complete 100 dresses by Friday then they would get payed a lot of money.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
Will the women's hard work allow them to achieve the goals that they want?
5. Use Ana, the central character, to answer the questions. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what Ana wants (NOTE: In Real Women Ana's wants seem to be in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles.
In the beginning of the play, Ana didn't want to keep working there. She really wanted to leave the people she considered family. She also wanted to go to NYC to be a writer. By the end of the play, Ana doesn't completely separate herself from the rest of the women in the play after going off to college, instead she comes back to visit and is even excited for Estela's new bouquet.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Real Women Have Curves.
The most theatrical moment was when the women stripped down to their undergarments. This is because most females in our community do not strip in public and our country is sort of conservative about that kind of thing. It was also a touching moment between the women because they are becoming comfortable with their bodies as well as loving their body and seeing the beauty they possess.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Real Women. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
The first example of images was when Carmen was describing how she lost her virginity. She using enoughimagery in retelling her story to a point where the reader can feel the awkwardness and understand the humor at the same time. The second example of images was when the women were giving their checks to Estela so she could pay off the lawyers so they won't take her to court. This gives strong imagery to how each woman was reacting before giving up their checks and how they show each woman hugging Estela. For example Carmen has stage directions about how she is reluctant to give up her check and is even given the direction to "slowly say goodbye" to it. The last example of images was when the first scene when Ana goes to the bathroom to write in her journal. The stage directions shows the reader how that particular scene is supposed to go. It gives specific details on what Ana is doing and how she does it to a point where the reader is able to clearly see it in their mind. The title of the play helps us understand the images in the play because we know that all of the women have some time of curves. It doesn't matter whether they have stomach rolls, a little bigger than what society would consider "skinny", or even having more fat than normal on arms or thighs. By saying "Real women have curves", this shows that it doesn't matter what you look like, how big you look, or even how many curves you have, you are still a woman who goes through the same issues and other woman would go through.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Real Women.
The main theme that stood out to me was family and body awareness/acceptance.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Real Women? Is family redefined in this play? If so, how and why?
During the dramatic scene where the women were stripping, has plenty to do with family. For one, it shows them bonding and being close to each other in a way that is usually possible with family. Family is redefined in this play because it shows the complexities that normal families have. This would include: many fights, moments of learning from each other, moments of support, and moments of generosity.
We are inside a tiny sewing factory in East Los Angeles on Monday morning, September 7, 1987, about 7:00 a.m. The people involved includes Estela, Rosali, Ana, Pancha, Carmen. These ladies find themselves having to make 100 dresses by that Friday. Many problems pop up along the way such as Rosali passing out due to only eating dieting pills and some of the equipment breaking down.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken in the play and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
The intrusion was when Rosali explain why she fainted. This is because it showed the other women what people would go through just to feel or look "pretty". This was the start of the characters realizing how beautiful they really are and that they do not need to go through diets to feel and look beautiful in your own skin. This is accomplished when they started to strip in front of each other in order to call attention to their imperfections. However, in the end they saw how their imperfections made them beautiful.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
This was the day that the women find out that if they complete 100 dresses by Friday then they would get payed a lot of money.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
Will the women's hard work allow them to achieve the goals that they want?
5. Use Ana, the central character, to answer the questions. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what Ana wants (NOTE: In Real Women Ana's wants seem to be in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles.
In the beginning of the play, Ana didn't want to keep working there. She really wanted to leave the people she considered family. She also wanted to go to NYC to be a writer. By the end of the play, Ana doesn't completely separate herself from the rest of the women in the play after going off to college, instead she comes back to visit and is even excited for Estela's new bouquet.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Real Women Have Curves.
The most theatrical moment was when the women stripped down to their undergarments. This is because most females in our community do not strip in public and our country is sort of conservative about that kind of thing. It was also a touching moment between the women because they are becoming comfortable with their bodies as well as loving their body and seeing the beauty they possess.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Real Women. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
The first example of images was when Carmen was describing how she lost her virginity. She using enough imagery in retelling her story to a point where the reader can feel the awkwardness and understand the humor at the same time.
The second example of images was when the women were giving their checks to Estela so she could pay off the lawyers so they won't take her to court. This gives strong imagery to how each woman was reacting before giving up their checks and how they show each woman hugging Estela. For example Carmen has stage directions about how she is reluctant to give up her check and is even given the direction to "slowly say goodbye" to it.
The last example of images was when the first scene when Ana goes to the bathroom to write in her journal. The stage directions shows the reader how that particular scene is supposed to go. It gives specific details on what Ana is doing and how she does it to a point where the reader is able to clearly see it in their mind.
The title of the play helps us understand the images in the play because we know that all of the women have some time of curves. It doesn't matter whether they have stomach rolls, a little bigger than what society would consider "skinny", or even having more fat than normal on arms or thighs. By saying "Real women have curves", this shows that it doesn't matter what you look like, how big you look, or even how many curves you have, you are still a woman who goes through the same issues and other woman would go through.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Real Women.
The main theme that stood out to me was family and body awareness/acceptance.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Real Women? Is family redefined in this play? If so, how and why?
During the dramatic scene where the women were stripping, has plenty to do with family. For one, it shows them bonding and being close to each other in a way that is usually possible with family. Family is redefined in this play because it shows the complexities that normal families have. This would include: many fights, moments of learning from each other, moments of support, and moments of generosity.